Amazonian tribe takes hostages after oil spill

Protests: A woman painted in black screams as dozens of activists gather in front of Petroperu HQ

Amazonian Tribe Seizes Military Helicopter
And Takes Government Officials Hostage

By Mitra Taj
LIMA, March 7 (Reuters) - An indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon took at least eight public officials hostage to demand help from the central government after an oil spill polluted its lands, authorities said Monday.
The Wampis community of Mayuriaga seized a grounded military helicopter late on Sunday, holding crew members and several officials to press for inclusion in the emergency response plan, said German Velasquez, the president of state-owned energy company Petroperu.
A rupture in Petroperu's 40-year-old pipeline spilled 1,000 barrels of oil in Mayuriaga on Feb. 3, nine days after a leak in the same duct poured 2,000 barrels near eight other indigenous communities in the same Amazonian region.